On the face of it, there should be no contest. North Korea’s population is one-thirteenth that of the U.S. Its GNP is measured in billions – ours in trillions. Yet our most pressing foreign policy issue is what to do about North Korea.

Cartoonists treat the issue wih dark humor. Many of them depict Kim as a hapless but dangerous child playing with his calamitous nuclear toys; and Trump is mocked by variations on his :”fire and fury” threat against Kim. Another frequent theme is criticism of China for failing to restrain Kim.

As I see it:

North Korea we’ve discovered is alarming.Though it’s tiny, still attention must be paidFor it’s capable of infinitely harmingMany millions with a single fusillade.

For all our foreign policy advisorsIt’s a subject of perpetual review.Unhappily its nukes are equalizersIn response I fear we haven’t got a clue.

Trump wants to see more Chinese interventionBut that prospect I suspect is rather slim.Do we really think the hope is worth a mention
That Xi will side with Donald not with Kim?

So the world will fear disastrous collisionsAnd confidence will fall into a slumpAs long as we’re dependent on decisionsBy the likes of Kim Jong-Un and Donald Trump.

Posted on Tuesday, September 19, 2017 (Archive on Monday, June 15, 2020)